Blood is thicker than Water..

How many of our habits of our childhood will stay with us as we grow? Five? Two? One? Zero?

As far as I can remember, my parents used to buy lots of books for me. My parents have been ardent readers and eventually I turned into a book-worm.

I am happy that at least one of my childhood habits is still there in me.

Yesterday (12/29/2009), while reading the national daily, The Hindu, I read a story in the YOUNG WORLD. The story is about a girl jealous of her kid brother. It’s her birthday and he is stealing the show. In the end, her kid brother made her the happiest person on her birthday.

After reading, I felt like it was my story. Two decades back, when my brother was born, I lost all the enthusiasm that I had before his birth. Before he was born, it was my favorite pastime to heed hard by pressing my small face on my Mom’s tummy to check whether he was making any sounds. I loved those soft kicks he made to make us know that, like us, he was eager to us too. I will tell the bunch of guests visiting my Mom that I was going to have a kid brother. (I still wonder how I decided by myself that it would be a baby boy). My parents were little tensed seeing my stubborn wish to have a brother.

But once he made entry into my family, he became my “villain”. Everybody was behind him.

“so cute”..”, “so chubby”… These were some of the frequent dialogues which would ring in my ear round the clock. Nobody cared about me. Everyone who came home was eager to cuddle and kiss him. My eclipsed face showed others how unhappy I was. To make matters worse, the guests teased me saying I was jealous of my brother. And I was hurt.

I noticed that he was getting toys which were not there for me. Everyone at home cared only about him. At last I declared him as my “villain” of life.

But, I don’t know how things changed. I started liking his company once he started laughing and giggling. His smile was so cute. Yes!!! he was very cute. I was blind with my jealousy that I couldn’t make out how cute he was.

hatred..

hatred..

hatred..

hatred..

love..

love..

love..

Once during summer vacation,when five of cousin sisters were at home;my mom was shouting us for not taking the snacks.

One of the guests who had come that evening had brought some cookies.My mom told my brother to offer a piece to me saying “give a bite to your sister..”Then my naughty cousin sisters played a prank by telling him that they were his sisters.They tried their best to get the cookie from him.But he turned his face every time they told him that they were his sisters.In the end of the struggle,he called me “ole” for the first time – a shortened version of my pet name.

I was the happiest person on earth that day and I cried out of joy.

Once my cousin sisters were home for spending their summer holidays. My mom was shouting us for not having the evening snacks.

One of the guests who had come that evening had brought some cookies and cakes. My mom told my brother to offer a piece to me saying “give a bite to your sister”. Then, my naughty cousin sisters played a prank by telling him that they were his sisters. They tried their best to get the cookie from him. But, he turned his face every time they asked him for the cookie. In the end of the struggle, he called me “ole” for the first time – a shortened version of my pet name.

I was the happiest person on earth that day and I cried out of joy.

From that moment to the present, how far did life take us. From a younger brother to an elder brother, from a brother to a best friend, from a companion to a guardian.

There were times when I travelled home every weekend so that I can spend a day with him. There were times when I used to count the seconds to wish him first on his birthday. There was a time when my life was a mess and he was there beside me.

I know that even if my life turns upside down or if the world deceives me, I can always escape to him. I know that he will be there at the other end to hug me tight and make sure that everything is fine. I know that he will be there forever changing his roles and responsibility as time passes.

I arrived here via your comment on Purba’s blog. This is really touching. Every sibling needs to read this once. You have brought out the usual emotions in a very candid way – the jealousy, the hatred, the competition .. which eventually turns into solid, strong affection, care and love (often unspoken and unexpressed, but always there).

The incident where your kid bro always turned to you even when there were other cousins – that takes the cake!

Nice post. Though I am the youngest in a family of six and don’t know how it feels like to have a younger sibling take away the attention, I can just imagine how my elder sister (the one just before me) would have felt when I was born!